Fur pelt drier and stretcher



Feb. 16, 1954 SCHULZ, SR 2,669,057

FUR PELT DRIER AND STRETCHER Filed June 25, 1951 INVENTOR EUGENE SCHULZ5R.

3/ Wu)? M ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 16, i954 UNITED- STATES.

ATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to fur pelt dryers and stretchers and moreparticularly to an improvement over my prior Patent 2,534,071 issued tome on December 12, 1950, for an Adjustable Fur Pelt Dryer and Stretcher.

A principal object of my invention is to provide a fur pelt dryer andstretcher frame including a pair of longitudinally extending side rodswhich may be adjusted for drying and stretching different sizes of peltsand which is particularly suitable for use with mink skins and the like.

Another object of my invention is to provide an adjustable fur peltdryerand stretcher which may be used by the furrier in his shop for drying,stretching and holding skins when making mink scarves, etc., and onewhich may also be readily adapted to be used by the fur rancher ortrapper during the pelting season.

A further object ofmy invention is toprovide my fur pelt dryer andstretcher frame with longitudinally slidable hooks adj-ustably mountedon each side rod and which may be fastened" to the hind feet portions ofthe pelt to hold the. same in the proper position,

A, salient feature of my invention is to provide a dryer and, stretcherframe which may, be adjusted to the desired size for the pelt re.-quired and which when inserted in the pelt may then be given anadditional slight adjustment as may become necessary while the dryer andstretcher is in the pelt.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a simple practicaland reliable construction that is economical to manufacture, easy toassemble and positive in its operation.

With these and other objects in View and to the end of attaining anyother advantage hereinafter appearing, this invention consists incertain features of construction and combination and arrangements ofparts, hereinafter described, pointed out in the claims and illustratedin the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my fur pelt dryer and stretcher andillustrating a form of my invention particularly suitable for use in thefurriers shop;

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the frame, taken on the line2-2 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a sectional view through one of th adjustable hooks andshowing in detail the manner of securing the hook to one of the siderods;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view partly in section, showing furtherdetails of the adjustable hook, the section taken on the line 44 andlooking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken on the line 55 of Figure 1 andlooking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a top plan view similar to Figure 1, but illustrating amodified form of my fur pelt dryer and. stretcher which is particularlysuited' 'to be used by the fur rancher or trapper;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the type of dryer and stretcherillustrated in Figure 6, but showing a modified head portion.

Referring to the drawings in detail wherein similar reference charactersdesignate correhook [1.

tended as at H! and provided with openings into which a set screw 20 isreceived. The hook I! is formed from a continuous length of relativelystiff wire, and the inner end of the hook is looped at 2| to pass aroundthe shank of the set screw 22. A washer 22 is interposed between thehead of the screw 20 and one of the members l9. It should be readilyapparent from the above that by tightening the set screws 20, the hooksI! may be firmly secured at any position on the side rods ll, l2.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figure 1, it is desired thatthe head portion l3 of the dryer and stretcher frame be rounded bycurving the end portions 23 of the side rods inwardly. This is desirablein that the rounded portion 23 of the head l3 will bear against the headmounting which the furrier expertly inserts into the head and noseportion of the pelt. The adjustable head spreader I5 includes a pair oftransversely extending slotted ears 24 which are positioned in anoverlapped relation as particularly illustrated in Figure 2 of thedrawings. A bolt 25 is passed through the slot portions and a set screw26 is utilized for frictionally securing the spreader at any desiredposition. The main spreader It is situated at the extreme tail portionof the stretcher frame and includes two pivoted links 21, each of whichis externally threaded and joined by a turnbuckle 20. Each link 21 issecured to one of the side rods by means of bolt 29. The extreme tailend of each side rod is flattened at 30 and provided with an openingthrough which the bolt 29 passes. The inner end of each link 21 isformed with a loop 3| which receives the shank of the bolt 29, and awasher 32 is inserted over the bolt and rests on the top portion of thelink loop 3 I. The elements are then firmly secured in place bytightening down on the nuts 33.

For use in the furriers shop, I also provide the tail portions of eachside rod with,-thread opening 34. In using the dryer and stretcherdescribed above, the furrier merely adjustshthe.

pelt to the siderods by utilizing the openings 34 which are provided forthat purpose.- If the stretcher frame; is too tight or if itis desiredto,

increase the transverse width of the frame,.the turnbuckle 20 of thespreader i5 is in a. position at the tail portion so that. it... may be'easily reached by the furrier withouthremoving ,the frame from theskin,, .and further. adjustment may be made as desired.

Referring now to the modifications illustrated in Figures 6 and 7offthe'drawingsit will be noted that the dryerfand stretcher frames 10'are practically identical to the stretcher frame I0, except that thethread holes 34 may be eliminated and the heads l3" are modified "tomake up for the lack of head mountings. The fu'r rancher or trapper isparticularlyconcerned with stretching and drying the head of theanimal'so that the furrier will not experience difiiculty in insertingthe head mounting, artificial eyes, etc. 'I therefore provide upwardlyextending portions 35 on the head l3 (Figure 6). These portions extendup into the head and nose of the animal and hold it in the desiredposition. The, hooks The form as illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawingsis identical to the form illustrated in Figure 6 with the exception ofthe head 13. In this instance the extensions 36 of the head l3 are notextended upwardly but are somewhat more pointed thanthe portions 23illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing. Here again the hooks l1 play animportant part in securing the hind feet portions of the fur pelt. It isalso to be noted that all of the bolts, set screws, etc., are providedwith rounded heads so that they will not catch or tear the fur peltsduring the insertion of the spreader frame into the skins.

. From theforegoing, it is believed that the features and advantages ofthe invention will be readily; apparent to those skilled in the art, andit wil1, of course, be understood that changes in the form, proportionand minor details of construction may be resorted to without departingfrom the spirit of the invention or the scope of the-appendedclaim.

..Iclaim:

Ina fur pelt dryeraand -stretcher of thev comprising a-pair. ofelongated siderods extend-. ing divergingly from their tailends-towardtheir head ends, a.- transversely disposed spreader member connectingthe side rods at a point adjacent and rearwardof their head ends, and asecond spreader'member connecting therods at their extreme tail ends, apair of U-shaped clips, each clip extending around one of said side rodsand having its opened end extending outwardly therefrom, a set a screwextending transversely across saidopening of ,each clip,..and. a pair ofhooks, each hook having its inner endv looped about said set screw,whereby each hook is slidably and adjustably mounted to one of said siderods.

References oiteaf the file bf this at nt-;';

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,307,522 Stuhr June 24, 19191,363,449 Bick Dec. 28, 1920 1,755,118 Hollywood Apr. 15, 1930 2,360,718Philbrick Oct. 17, 1944 2,534,071 Schulz et al. Dec. 12, 1950 EUGENE soHULzfsRj 1 Y

